“Taking seven people to the NCAA Championships is something we want to continue to do and get even more,” said A-State head coach Jim Patchell. “We are continuing to get better each year, which is a great sign for the program.”

Levi punched his ticket to Eugene by placing 10th among the 48 competitors Saturday. After a foul on his first attempt, Levi launched the shot 18.73m (61-5.50) to rank ninth heading into the final throw. Levi fell to 10th before his final attempt, which was also a foul, but his mark stood up for the 10th place finish. This will be Levi’s first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Bacon, coming off tying the world’s fastest wind-legal 100-meter dash on Friday, ran in the quarterfinal of the 200-meter dash on Saturday looking to advance to Eugene in a second event. Bacon cruised to the win in his heat in 20.51 seconds, the second-fastest time among west region qualifiers and eighth-fastest time among the 24 entrants headed to the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Caitland Smith punched her ticket to Eugene in the 100-meter dash on Friday and was fractions of a second shy of advancing in the 200-meter dash. She placed sixth in her 200-meter dash heat at 23.34 seconds and finished 13th among the 24 athletes in the quarterfinal race, just shy of the 12th place time of 23.19 seconds.

“Unfortunately, Caitland got lane one in the draw,” said Patchell. “I think if she had gotten any other lane, she would have advanced seeing that she was 13th overall. That’s the way it goes sometimes, and you just have to go with it and that time was right at her personal best. All in all, I’m proud of our week and looking forward to getting to Eugene.”

Calea Carr, who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the discus throw, competed in the hammer throw on Saturday. Carr finished 42nd with a mark of 51.95m (170-5), but will see her season continue in Eugene. Senior David Phillips had his career come to a close at the highest level. Phillips finished 29th in the high jump with a clearance of 2.06m (6-9.00).

The 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin June 6 at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

For the latest on the A-State track and field, log onto the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField or follow the team on Twitter or Instagram at @AStateTrack.